Angels Aren't Lacking For Sour Grapes After Red Sox Win

Growing up in New York City in the 1990's, I became quite familiar with a rite of June. Whenever the Knicks would be bounced from the NBA Playoffs, Patrick Ewing would meet reporters in the locker room and assure them that they were the better team and the victim of things beyond their control. It became something of a joke, a joke that John Lackey of the Angels apparently never got.

"We lost to a team that's not better than us. We are a better team than they are. The last two days, we shouldn't have given up anything. Sunday night they scored three runs on a pop fly that was called a hit, which was a joke. Monday night they scored on a broken-bat ground ball and a fly ball that anywhere else in America is an out, and he's fist-pumping on second base like he did something great."

Torii Hunter also wasn't willing to concede the point.

"I'm [ticked], I'm upset, this one's going to be with me for a while. It doesn't feel good, because we're a better team than they are. But they're moving on."

I didn't realize that the world's smallest violin provided musical accompaniment to the Angels locker room. The Angels won more games than the Red Sox over the first 162 but the last four provided little compelling evidence of their superiority.

There's not even much evidence that they were better over the first 162. The Sox scored 151 more runs than they allowed in 2008, playing in a division that was far better than the one the Angels called home. A glance at Baseball Prospectus's adjusted standings (which takes strength of schedule into account) finds them with 102 third order wins, which is both two more than the Angels actual wins and 18 more than their total by this metric. Stats aren't perfect, but they are illustrative.

The Angels made boneheaded errors in the field and in the dugout, they couldn't solve Jon Lester over 14 innings and K-Rod failed in a huge spot. The Angels, who only had a differential of 68 runs, had a razor thin margin for error and the miscues and poor execution proved too much. The Sox had three key players ailing, didn't have home field advantage and still won the series. And you know what? It's because they're the better team.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

10-07-2008 @ 9:20AM

Dalton Jones said...

So Lackey is saying that the Angles are a better team that just can't field pop-ups? They get the gift of 19 games a year against Oakland, Texas, and Seattle instead of Tampa, Toronto and the Yankees and they are the better team? Try pitching better fat boy.

10-07-2008 @ 10:08AM

mary said...

Toronto is garbage and the Yankees were not much this year .

10-07-2008 @ 9:37AM

NYRanger said...

To bad the RedSox weren't wearing pinstripes.The Angels would have swept them

10-07-2008 @ 9:59AM

Heather said...

Yeah Red Sox!!! NYRanger your team really killed it in the post season!Sike!!

10-07-2008 @ 10:09AM

I hope the Red Sox get swept in the next round . Having said that John Lackey is off his medication. The angels lost the game last night due to the fact that HE gave up two runs and then later his manager lost his mind. They did not look better than the Sox they looked pretty well matched . Goggle Rod coughed up some runs while Papelbon held his ground Vlad dissapeared it was what it was . On to Tampa go Rays

10-07-2008 @ 3:06PM

WHS said...

In other news, Josh Alper has no idea what the term "sour grapes" refers to. Someone ought to by him a copy of Aesop's fables.

10-07-2008 @ 5:50PM

Hit Dog said...

Toronto is garbage? Toronto had the best pitching in the American League this year, and a better third order record than the Yankees or the...Angels.

Sour grapes is commonly used to refer to silly excuse-making. Whether or not Josh knows of the fox who thought the grapes he couldn't reach had to be sour, he's making an okay reference, WHS.

Sox in 6, provided Beckett is in anything like standard form. It's going to be a great series, which is more than we'll be able to say for the World Series.

10-07-2008 @ 7:38PM

Brian said...

Yeah,, John Lackey is a "Big Baby", the Angels feasted on a Sub-Par American League West.
The Angels Had going into ALDS
1) Home Field
2) No Injuries (an excuse the Angels used last year during the
ALDS) except when Tori Hunter threw a hissy fit after being
called out at first
3) A banged up Red Sox Team -Lowell, Ortiz,JD Drew, and
Josh Beckett
4) Clinched the American League West back In August, able to
rest their players and set up their Rotation perfectly for the
Playoff Run
I'm a life long Red Sox Fan, when the Red Sox finally beat the
Yankees in 04 to get to the World Series. The Yankee players
like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera were gracious and complimentary in defeat. A testament to there professionalism and class, unlike these two bores (Lackey and Hunter).
Put Toronto or the Yankees in the American League West and they win the Division. Also Tori Hunter commented on Jason Bay fist pounding, hum maybe going from a perennial door mat to a winning Team will evoke such an emotion. Yeah Tori I've never seen you get pumped up. The Rays in seven over the Sox, better pitching, defense and team speed, the Rays are here to stay

10-07-2008 @ 7:48PM

gd said...

I expect a CLASSLESS act like Lackey to be a whiney baby. But Tori Hunter? Say it ain 't so. Tori, you have disgraced yourself, your profession and the State of Arkansas. Do the right thing and apologize. Don't lower yourself to your team mates levell.

10-07-2008 @ 8:19PM

I was also upset about Tori Hunter. I give him a slight pass, he's done such much to get inner city kids back into baseball. I think upon reflection he'll do the right thing and UN-do some of the damage. He's just bummed out, he actually had a Great Series as did Lackey. Maybe they should be venting in another direction. He's (Hunter) is better then that, he still aces in my Book for he's charitable works. I guess I'm just a little disappointed at this time with him. I was little harsh also.

10-07-2008 @ 9:36PM

Bean said...

Ewing has more problems than getting bounced in the playoffs.

http://thesportsbean.wordpress.com/2008/10/07/patrick-ewing-files-restraining-order-against-jane-goodall/

10-08-2008 @ 7:59AM

stevo said...

im no Anaheim Angels fan, but he did pitch a good game. He got out pitched by Lester. He is just pissed that they couldnt get by the RED SOX. I was hoping the would of kept Lester in for one more inning.. I'm sure if some of the bats hit some balls for a few runs, they (might) of won. Or If they would of caught some fly outs.. T Hunter, didnt do crap in the series as well as Vader. Red Sox turn it up in the playoffs, hope to see the Sox get past the Rays so they can meet the big blue(Dodgers) in the WS

10-08-2008 @ 9:22AM

Stoney said...

That stuff from Hunter and Lackey is called 'Losers Lament'. Used to hear it from the Red Sox on occasion when they lost to the Yankees ('99 comes to mind when they won the regular season series and then bombed out 4-1 in the ALCS). Same scenario, too: critical misplays and key letdown at the wrong times. Yeah, Lackey pitched well enough...to lose. He got outpitched both times and that's why good teams don't always win. If the Angels were as good as they say they are, they wouldn't have given away so many runs and ran themselves out of innings at least three times. 'Aggressive' becomes questionable, at best, and stupid, at worst, when it doesn't work. Sorry, LAAoA....you gagged this time and it cost you dearly. Better luck next time. Sox in six over (D) Rays.